2024 Rankings Update: Meet the New Additions to the ND Rankings
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NORTH DAKOTA– We uncovered a few days ago our biggest stockrisers in our recent North Dakota rankings, and now it is time to meet a handful of the new additons to our 2024 rankings. If I am a D1-NAIA college…
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Continue ReadingNORTH DAKOTA– We uncovered a few days ago our biggest stockrisers in our recent North Dakota rankings, and now it is time to meet a handful of the new additons to our 2024 rankings. If I am a D1-NAIA college coach in the Dakotas, I would scan this list carefuly, as there is plenty of love to go around along with our projections to where each prospects next-level fit is based on their skillsets and measureables. I also was super impressed with just how much upside each of these North Dakota prospects have to be seen in their upcoming senior seasons and how much they can grow with their skills once they get on a college campus in the next year or so. Let’s have a first look at our new additons in North Dakota’s 2024 class.
Tony Leal Tony Leal 6'5" | 220 lbs | TE West Fargo | 2024 State ND , TE, West Fargo (2024) Twitter
- Time to meet the #1 tight end in North Dakota in 6’5 220 pound Tony Leal Tony Leal 6'5" | 220 lbs | TE West Fargo | 2024 State ND from the West Fargo Packers.
- Tony starts off his tape with a solid based stance well-built for the tight end position at the next-level and has a very lengthy catch-radius and a bigger pass-catcher you can depend on with his solid hands to make the catch in high-traffic areas. I also love the balance Tony shows off on the edges of the football field and has some satisfying footwork for his size and frame to be a downhill threat on short or intermediate routes.
- I also am intrigued with Tony’s route-creativity for his size, as if the first look isn’t there he shows solid penetration to show off zero give-up on the route at hand. He’s got some grooming development with his wheels in the open field to develop before prospect camp season this summer, and will be one that the Division I level should be all over come summer time with just how impressive those hands of his on tape.
Cooper Fosher Cooper Fosher 6'4" | 255 lbs | OL West Fargo Sheyenne | 2024 SD , OL, West Fargo Sheyenne (2024) Twitter
- Another intriguing new addition to our rankings is 6’4 255 pound offensive linemen Cooper Fosher Cooper Fosher 6'4" | 255 lbs | OL West Fargo Sheyenne | 2024 SD out of West Fargo Sheyenne, who checks in as the #4 hog molly in our North Dakota 2024 class.
- Cooper is one of the best offensive linemen in North Dakota with his angle blocking, as his football IQ spins out with his pad-level well-enough to pave the way for the Mustangs outstanding running back core to carry thru some big gains from scrimmage. The biggest skilset I like about Cooper, is how much ceiling this kid has to develop as a finisher-type blocker as he shows some of it on tape, but I certainly believe there is more to be seen come 2023 in his arsenal.
- I know how much North Dakota college football programs focus on being developmental programs and with the instincts Cooper has off the snap, I could certainly see him being a solid scholarship level prospect in ND or SD as a solid fit for a higher scholarship-level football program.
Garrett Westlind Garrett Westlind 6'0" | 180 lbs | LB North Star | 2024 State ND , LB, North Star (2024) Twitter
- Garrett can be described as an athlete, but I feel his best skillsets for the next level come out at the linebacker position as a top 40 prospect in North Dakota due to his stretch he shows off when he goes for the ball that show off bigger than his 6’0 180 pound frame.
- I love watching his instincts flourish especially in pass coverage as a small town prospect from Cando, ND as Garrett potrays a linebacker prospect that is a “right place, right time,” type of player that has a great base of managing the field with his vision, and that vision instinct pops out a ton on both sides of the ball for Garrett.
- As a swiss-army knife on all three levels of the football field, Garrett I see as a slight strockriser in the upcoming months and looks like a great fit for one of those North Dakota programs in the NSIC that consistently finds hidden gems from small town North Dakota like Garrett.
Keyton McGregor Keyton McGregor 6'1" | 170 lbs | WR West Fargo | 2024 State ND , WR/DB, West Fargo (2024) Twitter
- Guess what, there is another McGregor in the receiving core in the 2024 class in West Fargo wide receiver Keyton McGregor Keyton McGregor 6'1" | 170 lbs | WR West Fargo | 2024 State ND , who checks in at as the #5 ranked wide receiver in North Dakota.
- Keyton is quite a bit longer than his older brother and U Mary commit Payton McGregor, and shows off a fluid amount of elusive agility when making his cuts on his short routes, similar to how Payton got it done for the Packers over the last few years. Keyton plays with a solid base of grit, when watching his as I love watching wide receiver prospects on tape that toss that hand up, which to me shows a clear-cut wanting of the football.
- Keyton has some positional flexibility too, as he shows off some excellent instincts as a defensive back with a signnificantly high vertical to go high and get the football on a deep or intermediate route. Also has some great footwork in his pedal. To me it certainly looks like there will be another McGregor in the NSIC in my eyes over the next couple of years!
Josh Wittich Josh Wittich LB Sargent County | 2024 State ND , LB/EDGE, Sargent County (2024) Twitter
- Not going to lie, when I first saw the length in Josh’s Hudl photo I was well-interested in the length this kid shows off, and the tape didn’t lie with that length either as Josh checks into our rankings as LB6 in our North Dakota prospect rankings for the 2024 class.
- Josh does have some somewhat raw technique with his pad-level when getting into the backfield, however the physicality Josh plays with when he makes contact with the ball carrier is certainly fun to watch if you are a college recruiter. Josh is another one on this list with some positional flexibility, as I could certainly see him as an EDGE looking at his next-level ceiling.
- He also shows off some edgy skillsets offensively that in the right college football system, could see a significant growth scale in his playing ability. According to my Prep Hoops Dakotas scout, Josh’s 6’5 frame could be appealing to some football suitors at the Division II level.
Oaklee Medenwaldt Oaklee Medenwaldt 5'9" | 165 lbs | LB Hankinson | 2024 State ND , LB, Hankinson (2024)
- An All-Region selection in 2022, we stay with the linebackers with Hankinson linebacker Oaklee Medenwaldt Oaklee Medenwaldt 5'9" | 165 lbs | LB Hankinson | 2024 State ND , who popped onto our 2024 North Dakota rankings just inside our top 100 prospects overall.
- I liked watching the fiery agile burst Oaklee takes at the middle linebacker spot to fly right into the chest of the ball carrier. This kid has some great vision no matter which linebacker spot he plays on, as he has some solid hands to get off blocks quickly and a great trigger to get to the football quickly.
- Don’t be fooled by the 5’9 165 pound frame, because Oaklee shows off much bigger physicality with his contact level than you would expect. I certainly could see this young man being a great small school hidden gem at the next level.
Ryan Pingel Ryan Pingel 5'9" | 165 lbs | ATH Alexander | 2024 State ND , ATH, Alexander (2024) Twitter
- Despite being one of the smaller framed prospects on this list, there certainly is some good football instincts in Alexander’s Ryan Pingel Ryan Pingel 5'9" | 165 lbs | ATH Alexander | 2024 State ND that flies out on his junior tape.
- Ryan shows off well-versed vision at the middle linebacker position that whether he’s finding the ball carrier in a tight window or not, he shows some solid fundamentals with his point of attack when he makes contact with the ball carrier. Ryan also has the stance that is built for the linebacker position when we look at him as a next-level prospect.
- There is some position flexibility in Ryan when we look at the next-level, but the best fit positional for me sees him at the middle linebacker spot. This is another small town prospect on this list that would be a great fit at one of North Dakota or South Dakota’s NAIA schools. High GPA as well with a 4.0.
Nash Wollenzien Nash Wollenzien 6'1" | 230 lbs | DL TGU | 2024 State ND , DL/OL, Towner-Granville-Upham (2024) Twitter
- I have always been impressed with the hard-nosed defensive prospects Towner-Granville-Upham has had in the last few years, and we found another new addition out of there in defensive end Nash Wollenzien Nash Wollenzien 6'1" | 230 lbs | DL TGU | 2024 State ND .
- At 6’1 230 pounds, Nash shows off some solid versatility with the leverage he brings to the table with his strength and just how instinctive this young man shows off to be in stopping the run game. He shows off some great footwork off the snap and can advance into the second level as a good angle blocker to pave the way for his running back.
- The swift motion Nash has with shedding off blocks, looks to these eyes as another Titan that should be playing scholarship-level football in the next few years as this incoming senior should be one to track in the Dakotas this summer at prospect camps.